REDLANDS >> The area’s own “Bobby Fischer”, Arnauld Martinez, is making a splash at chess tournaments throughout Southern California.

The 10-year-old Redlands Adventist Academy fourth-grader from Grand Terrace recently took first place in the Jimmy Quon Scholastic Tournament against 100 other chess junkies, mostly middle and high school students, in San Diego.

And that’s not all.

He has placed high in several other tournaments in the Inland Empire and elsewhere, and on April 19 Arnauld will participate in a Glendale tournament.

“I’m very excited,” said an enthusiastic Arnauld. “When I started playing chess, I just loved it.”

Arnauld was taught chess by his father, Arnold, last year.

Knowing only the basics, the elder Martinez was surprised by his son’s natural skills and eagerness to play against others.

“I wasn’t even a good player or competitive player,” Arnold Martinez said. “But he just seemed to pick it up really fast. And in weeks he was beating me really easy.”

Matches became a learning experience for both of them with Arnauld expanding his skills.

Arnauld’s family decided to enter him into tournaments to hone his skills. He started beating older players and took home win after win.

But that does not mean he was immune to a loss or two.

Recently, Arnauld placed 23rd in the California State Championship in Valencia.

He and his family were surprised.

“When he lost his first match, we were shocked. He hadn’t lost a match in five tournaments. So he finished the first day with one loss, but the next day he started winning and winning. He climbed his way up from all the way from the bottom in one day,” Arnold Martinez said. “He went into his last match realizing he wasn’t going to take first... and once everything was put into the computer, he came out to 23rd in the state.

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“He was really disappointed, and he kept saying, ‘But I should have won. I was way ahead. I don’t know what happened.’ He said the next time he was going to take first.”

Arnauld has aspirations to be like Fischer, because he was “very good at chess,” and he just likes him.

He also has plans to start his very own chess club at Redlands Adventist Academy.

But his main focus remains competing.

“They all say they want to beat me. They want to try and get a game with me sometimes, but I always pray before I do anymore. I pray before I play so God can be with me,” Arnauld said.